Recently Nick + I went to visit Ally and Rich (aka Happy Earth) who have created a truly amazing food forest garden in their suburban lot near Wollongong, NSW. It is a beautiful place of lushness, food, and fun.
The thing I like most about Happy Earth is that Ally and Rich have transformed this place from a very normal, suburban house on a sloping block to a madly wonderful jungle dripping with food and beauty, and they’ve done it all bit by bit, with thoughtful intent. The result is just magic. 
Down the side of the house
Ally explains to Nick about what got planted when...
Mmmm custard apples...
Rich explains how they built their no-dig garden beds...
Rich shows us their Top-Bar hive (he caught the swarm himself)...
A taste sensation! Stevia (sweet) spearmint + something licorice-y that i forget the name of. Yum!
Rich + Ally of Happy Earth in their front garden...
Kirsten and Nick of Milkwood in Happy Earth front garden...
Massive thanks to Ally and Rich for showing us their wonderful little world. Very inspiring – I think it’s the most exciting urban forest garden I’ve ever seen!
Happy Earth have also made the seriously awesome ‘Grow Local’ Illawarra Edible Garden Guide which is well worth a look for all sorts of reasons, regardless of where you live…
Imagine a suburb of forest gardens like this… the mind boggles at what that would do to the general health and happiness of the population… happy earth indeed…
On a related note, Dan Harris Pascal (Milkwood Farm’s plant whisperer) is teaching 2 forest garden courses soon, one at our farm and one in the center of Sydney.
Harris has extensive experience in both temperate, subtropical and tropical forest garden systems, so if you want to learn how to design, install and progress a beautiful forest garden like Happy Earth’s, we’d recommend coming along!
4 Comments
Reblogged this on Travels with Fred and commented:
Now this is what gardens should really be like – full of exploring and wonderful tastes and smells everywhere! Woof!
More Permaculture artists!
The ‘giraffe’ paving is beautiful. I noticed the curved plank edges of the little meditation platform – beautiful! And the reed blind, keeping things natural. The sensitive curves.
You guys love pour love and mindfulness into the smallest details.
This might be the next Rainbow Valley Farm – prepare for a deluge of Japanese!
I live in Florida (subtropical region) and I’d like to thank you for giving me a reason to visit Australia.
The garden looks like a foragers dream! – I could spend many an hour meandering through looking for nibbles. Very inspiring. Love the mandala gardens too.
2 Trackbacks
[...] Visiting Happy Earth, a kick-ass suburban food forest garden… « Milkwood: permaculture farming an… [...]
[...] might also want to have a look at the excellent food forest at Happy Earth, just sound of Sydney, or our own emerging temperate Forest Garden system at Milkwood [...]